On the pass: Phillippa Grogan, Phillippa's

Looking back over the 20 years you've now been in
business, Phillippa, what've been the biggest
changes?
When we started in 1994 there weren't a lot of specialist
bakeries. Now the bread industry is so much bigger, and even
supermarkets are beginning to make things like sourdoughs.

What's the essence of Phillippa's?
We're based around traditional recipes and natural ingredients
with the aim to get products that have a distinctive flavour and
texture. We also don't take a commercial approach; we use good
chocolate, butter not margarine, and no artificial ingredients at
all.

What do you love baking most at home?
I love to make a Roman artichoke pie or even some cheese sourdough
biscuits (there's three different recipes in my new book) that are
perfect with a few glasses of wine at the end of the day; they're
an ideal savoury snack before dinner.

What's your number-one tip for us home
bakers?
When you're making bread, introduce steam into the oven to help
develop a lovely crust. The key is throwing some ice cubes into the
bottom of the oven to create steam as they melt. You also need to
have your oven really well heated; you can turn it down as soon as
you put the bread in, but having it very hot first counteracts the
hot air that leaves when you open the door.

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